College Tribune Entertainment Supplement
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music
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19th September 2006
inside19th September
reviews
“Justin Timberlake’s latest offering promised to show an artist unrecognisable from his boy band day, but it fails to deliver”
plan b
“I don’t need an award to tell me my music is good”
fashion
“These women are extremely successful at the boho look”
brian dillon
I didn’t know that peoples’ jaws actually dropped
College Tribune
siren
They’re far too loose...
His watch is ticking. Not too wor- Prince to Jeff Buckley, Outkast to The Republic of Loose are drawing in ried yet. He takes a long drag on his Clapton, and beyond. smoke and sits back to admire the As for the sound that resulted, it the crowds, but they remain true to lake. Takes in the scenery. He looks can’t really be pigeon holed: words themselves, writes David Connolly at the can of Dutch Gold in his other like sleaze, grumpy, funk and grime, fit hand before taking a healthy swig. any attempt to describe The Loose’s Time to go. music, but so do phrases like 80’s pop, Republic Of Loose (ROL) front man slinky R’n’B, or retro reggae. Quite a Mick Pyro was spotted just minutes confusing mix, but it works somehow. before being due on stage at a gig in There’s no point in trying to underUCD last year. He was chilling by the stand the music by pinning it to a lake with a smoke in one hand and a genre, its simply good music. can of Dutch Gold in the other. Funny When asked about what had that services didn’t move him on. It’s changed since the band’s success, then that you know you’ve hit the big Mick said that although its true the time. crowds might have grown, and that he Perhaps it was does get recthe 2005 hit sinognised a bit The Loose are gle “Comeback more around Girl” that sent sticking to what town, The ROL on the way are stickthey know best... Loose to such promiing to what nence. That mas- writing about what they know sive summer hit tbest. That’s they got up to on was followed writing about another wasted up in 2006 with what they got the solid album weekend, something up to on an“Aaagh”, which that many students other wasted proves that ROL weekend, can relate to. is here to stay. something that After all, any many students band that loses out only to Christy can relate to. Moore for top spot in the Album charts At the same time these tunes are can be pretty happy with themselves. winning over younger fans, just enAs front man, Mick Pyro says himself joying the unique sound that mixes “Christy’s a legend, its not as if we together just about every style and were beaten to number one by West- taste of music out there at the molife”. ment. It all started for The Loose in 2001, The recent album ‘Aaagh’ has formed on the back of a band called something for everyone. Whether you Johnny Pyro. Mick and his brother like listening to Jay-Z or Snow Patrol, Dave joined up with Brez, Coz Noleon, you’ll find at least one song on ‘Aaagh’, Benjamin Loose and Deco and began which you won’t be able to get out of creating music, fuelled by the power- your head all day. ful mix of the odd glass of whiskey of Loose play the thrown in with inspiration from every Republic Bar in, this Thursday North American Influence imaginable, Student September 21st. from The Stones to James Brown, www.republicofloose.com The Loose: Numerous influences but a distinctive sound
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College Tribune
19th September 2006
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Fringe Worthy John O’ Flynn checked out the Dublin Fringe Festival and found many an artistic gem away from the mainstream Dublin’s Fringe Festival has been part of the city’s summer events for 12 years, and continues to grow in scope. This year, the organisers have brought contemporary artists from all over the globe, for what is their most ambitious programme yet. The Fringe’s director, Wolgang Hoffmann, aims “to transform the city, to change its pulse and to inject mega wattloads of creative energy into its veins.” For these 2 weeks of September, various venues in Dublin: Dundrum, Ballymun and Dun Laoghaire, will host group and solo performances of dance, theatre, visual arts and music. With 116 different events taking place between Saturday 9th and Sunday 24th, (many free of charge) there is a lot to take in, and certainly a show to suit everyone’s taste. Theatre In the words of Graham Main, the festival’s programme manager, the festival’s aim is to present it’s audiences with “experiences that range from dark to comic and easy to enjoy… drama that will make people stop and think”. There are dozens of theatrical performances taking place over the 16 days of the festival, and the following is only a brief overview. The opening show “Experience” is a project created entirely by youth groups from Ireland, the UK, Germany and Latvia, featuring artists working in dance, music and circus performance. Working with the theme of New Europe, they have composed a performance that combines their skills and disciplines as well as reflecting the diversity of their cultures. “John Moran and his Neighbour Saori” is one of the eagerly anticipated shows that are taking place. Moran is an eccentric musical composer and performer who has written operas with sampled television snippets, about topics such as the Manson family, starring Iggy Pop and Uma Thurman. In his new piece of music-theatre, he performs with classically trained Japanese gymnast and dancer Saori Tsukada. This should prove to be quite a strange ordeal. For an equally intense experience,
look no further than the Norwegian show “hold me” which focuses on the experience of being a teenager, trapped between the world of child and adult. On the lighter side of the programme, there is much to choose from. “Duel: Sons of Liberty II” takes place in a low budget soft-core porn studio, and will feature fruit fights, dancing, massages and Mel Gibson in a hilarious piece mocking stereotypes and popular culture. “Filth” is an award-winning satirical cabaret show, taking place in Pravda. “The Comedy Jesus Show” portrays Jesus as an improvising stand-up comedian, answering the audience’s questions about life, the universe and everything. In the Dundrum Mill Theatre, “Why Men Cheat” does exactly what it says on the tin. If you’re looking for something more traditional, Moliere’s “The Impostor” is playing at the Samuel Beckett theatre, in an adaptation that mixes theatre and music. There is also a modern version of the Antigone legend, titled “Antigone Interactive”, where the audience will decide the heroine’s fate. Live/Visual Art: Last Saturday week was the Fringe’s opening night, and some readers may have noticed the large smoking chandelier suspended
out over the Liffey around George’s dock, a fiery beacon to lure passers-by to the fire installation that decorated the docklands. The French Compagnie Carabosse transformed the docklands, using burning fire pots, stoves and floats as decorative sculptures. The entire IFSC area was bathed in the glow of hundreds of open fires, offering those who walked through, warmth for their hands and a spectacular show for their eyes. Some of the most interesting acts of the Fringe are to be found in the Visual Arts field. “Food for Life” sees Michelin chef Kevin Thornton imparting his love of food to the audience with live cookery, followed of course by live audience tasting. “It’s an Audio De-Tour” is a headphoneguided adventure-for-two through the city streets. Stuck for time? Then “The Lantern Project” is for you. Simply take a stroll down the Liffey boardwalk and glance upwards, where artists and community groups are displaying their lanterns suspended from the trees. Of course, the Fringe Festival wouldn’t be complete without some experimental envelope pushing. Ample chin scratching will also be provided by “Inexhib”, which involves a silent performance by a naked man and woman. There is also “Clone Factory”, a cycle of disturbing images combined with live electronic music, which carries the warning “Contains material of an extreme and graphic nature which may offend”. You have been warned. Music Most of the music acts at the Fringe perform in the Spiegeltent, an elegant circular venue, constructed from wood and mirrors, which floats on the artificial lake of the IFSC. The screening of “Man with a Movie Camera” was a magical event for all who attended. A live band, hidden behind the
projector screen, played their selfcomposed soundtrack to this 1929 experimental Russian documentary. Trams crossing, women getting haircuts, machines dfakjf turning, children playing… everyday scenes became visual treats, accompanied by 3epkano’s instrumental soundscapes, reminiscent of Sigur Ros and 66e. By the end of the film, the audience was in a trance. There is a great variety of music this year, with Disco Brasil opening the festivities, which featured live Capoeira and samba drumming. Other countries represented include Argentina’s Pequena Orchestra Reincidentes, Czech electrified folk band Czechomor, Portuguese oldschool rock band Wraygunn and the great Tony Allen, from Nigeria. However, the Fringe has also managed to unearth many unique Irish acts for the line-up, such as cabaret diva Karen Egan, the Dublin Gospel Choir, and northside klezmer group ‘The North Strand Klezmer Band’. That’s traditional Jewish party music, for those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of seeing them. They play energetic, irresistibly danceable music at their regular gigs in Dublin. This year, there are many famous names in electronic music to be enjoyed. Dublin band Autamata, who mix techno beats with pop lyrics, will be playing on Wednesday. Fourtet (aka Kieran Hebden) will bring his organic folk-electronica in a live show with jazz drumming legend Steve Reid on Thursday. The legendary
Mr.Scruff will be DJing a mix of reggae, soul and hip-hop to entertain the crowd next Friday, all of which takes place in the Spiegeltent If this isn’t your sort of thing, then perhaps you should take a stroll down to the Temple Bar Inn this week. There you can enjoy a live performance of Mozart’s first opera “Bastien & Bastienne” from a comfortable seat in a pub, and wash all that classical music down with a pint of Guinness.
Dance There are 11 different dance acts presented at the Fringe this year, including work by many cutting-edge Irish choreographers. “I Can’t Handle Me” is a solo performance depicting a woman’s struggle with issues of identity, love, sex, drugs and inner demons. “The Flowerbed” is loosely based on the tale of Romeo and Juliet, narrating the conflict between two neighbouring households in a humorous and violent show. Other highlights include “Beaute Plastique” is a duet between a female dancer and a female mannequin, exploring “the eternal battle between woman as object and woman as person”. This is paired with “Silvery Snot”, where three male dancers explore the spectrum of movement styles between hardness and fluidity.
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19th September 2006
aural examinations
justin timberlake
futuresex/lovesounds nnppp
Four years on from his debut album, Justified, and Justin Timberlake’s latest offering promised to show an artist unrecognisable from his boy band days. Futuresex/lovesounds however fails to deliver. An uncharacteristic parental advisory sticker and an impressive array of collaborations with some of the biggest names in hip-hop suggests we might see something fresh from Timberlake. The first release off the album, Sexy Back, is new and different; the electronic voice distortion and hip-hop influence of Timbaland work well to create a great
Ruth Davey
sharam
kasabian
empire
track. While this should have been a good indication of what the rest of the album had to offer, in reality it is where the album peaks. The disappointing number of filler songs like Love Stoned, All Over Again and Until the End of Time are reminiscent of the sounds on his last album. The few decent tracks feature artists like Snoop Dogg on Pose and Will.I.Am on Damn Girl. Unfortunately these songs are not enough to carry the album and serve only to show that when he is left to himself, Timberlake will keep producing the same old pop songs and ballads. The attacks directed allegedly towards Britney Spears should also have been let die on his last album. Cry Me a River featured on Justified created scandal and speculation but was arguably a good song. What Goes Around Comes Around can be seen as his latest attempt to create sensation, however the seven and a half minute description of karma is tedious at best. His high profile break-up is used again to create publicity and it is disappointing that his celebrity lifestyle demands more attention than his music on this album.
dubai gu 19 nnppp
Really? That’s it? After all the hype? As well received as their first album was, Empire, Kasabian’s second album, is simply a perfect blueprint of why most Brit rock today is the same flavour, plain old vanilla. From the pomp(ousness) of title track Empire to the dull contrived chaos of Apnoea not a single song looks to have the pull of the 2004 smash Club Foot, the whole album has no real highs or lows, creating an experience that feels hollow. Mediocrity has never sounded more average and monotone in the shape of Tom Meighan, whose risible voice fails to stick in the memory at all, adding to the sense that this album is ultimately lacking. However, you’ll be hearing this album, whether in the charts or in adverts, songs like Stuntman and Shoot The Runner (with a bizarre glam stomp) destined to linger around our consciousness for weeks to come. To be fair, Kasabian do try and widen their range on this album, with the introduction of the aforementioned glam along with electronica and vaguely North African flavours, with some success, before departing back to more predictable territory with By My Side and Sun Rise Light Flies. It’s hard to sound too bad when you throw this much money and effort at production after all, especially as Kasabian resolutely keep the toys in the pram and their finger off the button, with risk taking at a minimum. With an ending that didn’t include the misplaced British Legion and the self-indulgent The Doberman, Leicester’s finest might have produced an album that doesn’t leave quite a bitter – and disappointed – taste in the mouth. Jack Cane
nnnnp
Sharam has already appeared twice on the Global Underground CD series as one half of the popular DJ duo Deep Dish, but this time he ditches his partner in crime Ali Shirazinia for a solo set. The mixed album starts off with Dyad 10’s ‘sugar’, which is a deep house track the like of which Deep Dish are best known for. The mix livens up with some funky synths on ‘Passing Light’ and a very bouncy bassline on the Felix remix of ‘Bliss’. There are a few overindulgent, drawn-out breakdowns that would have techno-heads cringing, but when the beat comes back in, it’s usually good enough to keep you interested. The Last track on the First CD ‘Eiffel Nights’ is a corker, and it’s by far the best track on the whole album. The second CD is a lot livelier than the first, and it appears that Sharam is driving for a more upbeat sound in the absence of Ali. Bouncing funky electro bass-lines push things along in the form of Def E’s ‘Ape Stalking’, featuring vocals that rhythmically compliment the bouncing bass-lines and ‘Magna’ has a nice New Order-esque 80s flavour. Several tracks make effective use of vocals reminiscent of Delerium’s ‘Silence’, but some tracks are definitely on the cheesy side (Deep Breath Sedna & Who’s Watching). Things do become a bit harder and more techno-ish towards the end of the second CD. (‘Alyon’ & ‘If You Love Me’) but then on the last track it suddenly loses its direction with the totally out-of-place ‘Everyday’ cheesefest, which spoils what was otherwise a pretty coherent and well-put-together mix. On this CD, Sharam mixes various styles of dance music with varied success. This is not an outstanding mix by any means, but there are certainly a few gems in there.
Hugh Fowler
eagles of death metal death by sexy nnnpp
This is the 2nd album by the duo of Jesse ‘Boots Electric’ Hughes and Josh ‘Baby Duck’ Homme, and has nothing to do with death metal. With the help of many famous friends, including Jack Black, Eagle of Death Metal have written an album of funny, ass-kicking rock ‘n roll songs, right from the opener
james dean bradfield the great western nnnpp
It would be fair to say that the expectations for Manic Street Preachers’ front man James Dean Bradfield’s first solo album aren’t exactly sky high, seeing as the group haven’t exactly achieved much in the past few years. At least Bradfield makes an effort to put together a collection of songs that compare with his group’s best work,
‘I Want You So Hard’. Josh Homme’s production echoes Queens of the Stone Age, with plenty of distorted guitar, eerie backing vocals and false endings. Added to this are Hughes’ attentiongrabbing falsetto voice to create a hot forty minutes of kicking little riffs (exemplified on ‘The Ballad of Queen Bee and Baby Duck’) and sprinkles of bluegrass flavour (‘Solid Gold’) along with Frank Zappa-like voice-overs. Some hilariously dark moments are included, as on ‘Eagles Goth’ and even some bluesy finger-picking gospel on ‘Bag of Miracles’. This album captures the energetic, fun-loving spirit of rock‘n’roll, the kind of band you’d imagine playing a rowdy roadhouse on Route 66. Hughes explains his attitude best: “Shocking this day and age is to go up on stage and actually smile because you’re having a good time and actually not bullshit about the fact you’re trying to get laid. It’s about dancing and having fun and just kinda not taking everything so seriously”. John O' Flynn and, thankfully, this album is a world away from the dreary pomp rock the Manics have been knocking out since the turn of the decade. The album starts well with the first single release ‘That’s No Way to Tell a Lie’. In place of Bradfield’s trademark emotion-heavy guitar playing, come an array of harmonicas, xylophones and soaring vocal harmonies. As well as writing most of the lyrics himself, Bradfield plays most of the instruments on the album too, and the variety of instruments gives the music a fresh sound. Though the next two tracks ‘An English Gentleman’, and Nicky Wire’s ‘Bad Boys and Painkillers’ continue to impress, Bradfield then seems to run out of steam. Jacques Brel’s ‘To See a Friend in Tears’ sounds like something from a Chick-flick soundtrack, and the rest of the songs sound like you’ve heard them all before. Quite Simply, if you’re a Manics fan, you’ll enjoy ‘The Great Western’ - If not, you’d be much better off spending your money in the student bar. Kevin O'Dwyer
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19th September 2006
Time to turn to Plan B... He’s known as “that white rapper with the guitar.” Conor Doyle takes a look at Plan B, one of the most original hip-hop acts to emerge in years. “Alright, you fucking cunts!” The first thing one hears when listening to Who Needs Actions When You Got Words, the debut album from Plan B, London’s latest urban hip-hop export. To say this man demands your attention is somewhat of an understatement. At just 22 years of age, Plan B (real name Ben Drew) has crafted an original and controversial sound that has already garnered him two nominations for this year’s Mobo Music Awards, due to be held tomorrow night (Sept 20th). “The only reason I give a shit about it is because it’s voted for by the people,” commented Drew. “I’ll go to the awards, drink some champagne and have a good time, but I don’t expect to win anything, so fuck it. I don’t need an award to tell me my music is good.” On ‘Sick 2 Def,’ Drew is armed solely with an acoustic guitar rather than the usual beats that are employed by so many other hip-hop artists. It’s an idea The Fugees tried in the early nineties, but only here is it so impressively (and explicitly) executed. Whilst violently strumming the guitar Drew raps over the top with a lyrical dexterity and vocal tone reminiscent of Roots Manuva: “I talk so foul, I talk so coarse, I show no regret, I show
no remorse. Like a necromaniac raping a corpse up the anal passage while contracting genital warts.” The lyrics are so blatantly crude it’s almost laughable. However, as the song progresses the listener begins to realise that Drew is playing a character and actually condemning rather than condoning such violent behaviour. In the final verse, we observe a murderer listening to music in his bedroom, who before committing his crime “takes the CD out of the player, puts it back in its case. It has my name on the cover, along with my face.” This climax demands the listener to consider just how much the younger generation are influenced by what they see, hear, and listen to. Other tracks on the album prove Drew to be one of few rappers who are currently out there that actually possess an impressive singing voice. On his new single, Mama, Drew’s soulful voice croons with R‘n’B inflections over guitar once again: “Mama, it’s so black and white. While you’re sitting at home, he’s out smoking crack tonight.” This is not your typical hip-hop artist. Being white and having a penchant for controversy has brought Plan B many comparisons to Eminem, but Drew has little interest in his songs sounding like American hip-hop. “I think my music could crossover but I’d never be as big as 50 Cent or anyone like that because I’m not pretending to be a gangster. Over there
artist of the fortnight The Gorgeous Colours The Gorgeous Colours are indeed both gorgeous and colourful in terms of their musical output and live shows. The Dublin based four piece (Geoffrey McArdle , Neil Smyth , Tim Groenland, Glenn L'heveder) have a sound that mixes the tempo changing psychedelic pop meanderings of Architecture in Helsinki with the groove and infectious melodies of the Talking Heads. This mix of styles is most apparent in the track “Hunting Something." Playing live, the “Colours" take on a communicable, joyous hue. The sheer pleasure the band take in playing, combined with the energy and jubilant nature of the music translates into one of the most enjoyable live bands in the country at the moment. The Colours have already played to a packed Whelans and at the Castlepalooza festival in Offaly as well as recording a live session for “The Open Mic" on FM 104.
everything is about image, but the music they’re churning out is shit. Nobody’s really saying anything. The only thing that’s selling the music is the fact the guy’s been shot.” A more appropriate and obvious comparison of his music would be with The Streets, who Drew is label-mates with, although Drew himself says he draws a lot of inspiration from another British act: “I think Radiohead’s music is very spiritual. I find a lot of beauty in dark music. It’s an addiction really, and with Radiohead it’s about being addicted to depression.” A quick look at the other influences he lists on his MySpace page only further confounds someone new to his music: Rage Against The Machine, Nirvana, The Prodigy, Tracy Chapman, Stevie Wonder, Johnny Cash, the list goes on. Such unlikely and diverse influences don’t help much when describing Plan B’s original sound. “It’s like hip-hop with honesty, and some acoustic guitar… and a lot of swearing,” in the words if them man himself.
by Conor Doyle Plan B plays Spirit on Sept 29th. “Who Needs Actions When You Got Words" is in stores now. www.time4planb.co.uk
Gig Watch From 19th September Sep 19th Tue: Sep 20th Wed:
Sep 21st Thu: Sep 22nd:Fri Sep 23rd Sat:
Sep 25thMon:
Sep 28th Thu:
Sep 29th Fri
By Donal Casey www.myspace.com/thegorgeouscolours The Gorgeous Colours play in Crawdaddy on October 6th.
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Sep 30 Sat Sep 2nd Mon:
New Band Tour: The Chapters, Cow boy X, The Flaws- UCD Student Bar Republic of Loose - UCD Student Bar, With support from Last Ty coons and Bravest Kid in School Captain- Whelans Mr Scruff- Spiegeltent don’t miss it Justice- Temple Bar Music Centre Numark- Pod/Crawdaddys Jurassic 5- Tripod don’t miss it UCD Rising- The Musical Show, The Internet, Travega, Morning Hush, UCD Student Bar. don’t miss it DJ Dexter (The Avalanches) UCD Student Bar Papa Roach TBMC 747s-Whelans. Legowelt Live- Wax. Plan B- Spirit don’t miss it Goldie- TBMC Bookashade- Pod/Crawdaddys UCD Rising- Bravest Kid in School, Vic UCD Student Bar
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19th September 2006
College Tribune
health & fashion
Fresh to UCD? The first week of college can seem like being thrown in at the deep end for many first year students. Disorientated? Caitrina Cody comments on the health and well-being of new students.
For those students who are encoun- caution to the wind every now and then, on Thursday is notering university life for the first time, waking up in a ditch every second day is where to be found confusion is probably one of the most not something to be desired. Alcohol is a on Friday and dominant emotions they are feel- depressant and negative feelings of lone- while acquainting. Many of the new students have liness and isolation can increase during ances are plentiful, left home for the first time, are living a hangover. Drinking excessively leads to they sometimes with strangers and grappling with the poor concentration, health problems and are slow to develcomplex registration system, while at- also an empty wallet. op into fully formed tempting to grow accustomed to beAvoid burning out by taking care of friendships. Societies ing one among thousands of people. yourself. Drinking plenty of water both are a great way of making friends Excitement is everywhere and opwith common interests and there portunities for new experiences are will be plenty of opportunities to emerging but with this come conflictjoin up this week, so don’t hang Suzy ing emotions of fear, loneliness and back. Get involved, whether it be isolation. through politics, music, sports or deis a first-year ce. Deien The most important thing for a bating. Remember, there are thouo udent doing sc m st e with th d e h new student feeling overwhelmed sands of students who are just as is n fi e b lighted to ne of secondary school, by the vastness of UCD to reintimidated as you and are probti u by ro d notonous lly a little overwhelme member is that they are not ably as eager to make friends. alone. Most students initially Nutrition plays an important she was initiade of UCD and found it very us. feel daunted by the task of role in making the life of a stuthe magnitu st in the enormous campat ‘I’ll forming new friendships, takdent a happy and healthy one. easy to get lopbeat however insisting th rent fe u if ing on new subjects and dealFor many students, especially s d in a lly m ta re to She ntually. Its ing with their changing lifestyle. those living in rented accommoused to it eveool where everybody knew t ge Because the lifestyle of every dation, meals become less of a sch t involved from my old bu hoping to geth student is different from what it priority and nutrition is often sacI’m t . ay w r e at th o s each once was, especially if students rificed in place of quick, cheap mid make friend in societies anlittle bit scary but I still are responsible for their own nutricrowave dinners, devoid of any nutria e b !’ n It ca tion and housekeeping. tive benefit. Fruit and vegetable simply Leaving Cert prefer it to the The whirl of social activities and go by the wayside. Do make an effort to the buzz of Fresher’s Week leave many consume the recommended five portions students convinced that college is as a day of fruit and vegetables- smoothies much about developing socially as it is are a convenient and delicious source of about developing academically. Going all those vitamins. This will keep your out, once an event strictly confined to before and after a night out can reduce immune system going the cold winter the weekend becomes an almost daily the symptoms of a hangover considera- months when you find yourself standevent and students find time between bly. Drinking a pint of water before going ing, shivering at bus stops. lectures to drop into the Student Bar for to sleep after consuming alcohol helps to Please remember that if any of a refreshing pint. Once the initial exhila- flush out toxins while you rest and leaves these problems become overwhelming ration has faded though, new students you feeling far more human in the morn- that there is help available. Your student find themselves struggling to settle into ing. Take it easy on yourself occasionally. advisor can help you if you feel at any a routine. Here are some guidelines to While it may seem vital that your night stage that you are struggling to balance surviving with the largest amount of out on a Friday night is swiftly succeed- your studies and your social life or if brain cells intact as possible. ed by another night out on Saturday, it you are having personal problems that There’s no point in pretending that doesn’t have to be so. Give your body a are interfering with your work. There is alcohol doesn’t play a prominent part in rest- and your liver. Sometimes staying in on-campus counseling available to stuthe social lives of most UCD students. the odd night with a DVD or a book can dents at the Student Centre and apThe bars are hubs of activities and al- be oddly enjoyable. pointments can be made through your cohol can help to soften the inhibitions Depression is a huge factor among student advisor, chaplain or student of the most reserved students. It greases college students who find it difficult to union welfare officer. the wheels of social interaction and is an fit into a new social group. The size of inevitable feature of college life. However, lecture halls means that the boy you Student Medical Cenas much fun as it is to go wild and throw had the meaningful conversation with tre: 01) 7163133
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College Tribune
19th September 2006
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There's beauty in the lack of detail Autumn ‘06 is all about comfort and wearability and above all, keeping it simple. Caitrina Cody comments on the current back-to-basics trend and its key elements.
You’re flicking through the latest issue of able talent of impeccable judgment when it Heat magazine and admiring the new pho- comes to the over-the-top look. They know tos of Sienna Miller and Kate Moss. Wom- just how far to push it without over-stepen who embody everything that is chic ping the boundaries of taste and ending up and trend setting, they possess the knack looking like something from The Pirates of of combining seemingly bizarre articles the Caribbean. Thus, Kate Moss’s outfits all of clothing (mini-waistcoats, black ankle appear casual and spontaneous but never boots, oddly-shaped hats) to produce an absurd. effortlessly elegant look. These women are extremely successful You study the pages for a while imagin- at the boho look because it is a look that is ing a parallel universe in which someone like all about casual, almost eccentric elegance. you would ever wear such an ensemble. You A crazy combination of many-layered vests, picture yourself strolling into the Student strings of vintage Bar, a trilby hat cocked cheekily over necklaces, your forehead, a men’s tie noosed e Thes around your neck, your pirateents UCD studth style waistcoat perfectly eir own te a demonstrroach to fashion complimenting your 't p unique ap ving that you don numerous strands of ds to pro n , e ll tr fa w is o ll th beads and chains. You vishly fo highhave to s.laUsing a variety ofcreated laugh, sigh, throw d h o c o a 've e look g the issue in the reices, they feel best s. street chnot style that they rs cycling bin and set onalitie a cohere eir tastes and pe ual in the off for TopShop to id th iv s d y portra ortance of the in er-emphasised purchase clothes The imp hion cannot be ovlearn to wear that while not vins ar at we world of fa clothes we ssential th tage and ‘interestand it is es and don't let the tes of fickle ing’ won’t provoke e the clothdely obeying the dicata ter becaus the laughter of all us. Blin is a recipe for dis s re a s d n e who see you. fashion gh this season's trgrounded, althou ly wearable and person If like the average g ch surprisinim ly up to eliake from person, you are simply is ult ate y e it th t a unable to create someto take wuhrrent look and thing magical from attic the c suit adapt it to remnants combined with a few killer designer pieces and you have suffered through the last few seasons of bohemian chic, do not defloral tea-dresses over spair you are not alone. I know multi-coloured tights- the look is all about that when I don a pirate-style excess and being able to carry it off. For waistcoat I would simply look those of us who do not possess these ralike a pirate, which is not a zor-sharp instincts however the look is more look I want to aim for. Com- reminiscent of someone who simply can’t bine that with ankle- choose between her jeans or her dress and boots and ropes of so must wear them both, who chooses to beads and I would wear all her beads through simple indecibe committing sion and is simply at sea. fashion suicide. However, this season thankfully sees a Some women return to such old-fashioned notions as simpossess the envi- plicity and straightforward silhou-
ettes. For once, we can be stylish without sacrificing our dignity. And for those of us who are less than delighted when we feel obligated to emulate Moss and co. and drag the dressing-up chest out, there is hope. On the catwalks this season the mood was noticeably subdued, layering was still noticeable but in a decidedly more grown-up way. There were long woollen jumpers in evidence, wide trousers, sturdy boots and comfy parkas, all in a subdued palette of neutral grays, blacks and tans. With flashes of electric colour and bright glimpses of tartan thrown in there was nothing dreary about the collections and the ultimate impression was of clothes created with real three-dimensional people in mind, for a world in which weather would be a factor. This back-to-basics approach has breathed fresh air into the claustrophobic and cluttered atmosphere of the recent season. Tunics will be big, worn over straight-leg trousers or tights with belted waists to add definition. Flowing skirts retreat into the distance as trousers - both skinny and wide - regain the prime position. Wide-legged trousers are paired with glamorous tops and bags are roomy and soft.
IN
Animal instincts Its the look we all love to hate... and its back with a vengeance on shoes, bags and trimmings. Yes, folks, leopard- print is in but please keep it to a minimum!
The new Arts block bathrooms Females from sociology to linguistics heave a sigh of relief...No more dark and dismal bathroom breaks for us.
Full eyebrows It’s time to throw away the tweezers and let it all happen! At last the lazy option is celebrated.
Big Trousers While skinny jeans haven’t gone away, those of us who detest them can at least find solace in the deliciously roomy ‘boyfriend’ jeans of this season.
Girliness I know, you love your pearls but put them away because Autumn is all about unleashing the no-nonsense Warrior within ourselves and that warrior has no time for lace and frills.
Big hair
We’ve had enough of the 80sstyle perm...time to whip out the straighteners again as we see a return to smooth, sleek tresses.
Tiny bags
Yes, they’re cute but when you’re forced to make a choice between your mobile and your purse its time to up-size.
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One fest to rul This year, the organisers of Electric Picnic expanded the festival in many ways: a third full day of entertainment was added, more diverse acts performed on a greater variety of stages, and a crowd of 30,000 made their way to Laois for a weekend of madness. Having a full schedule of acts on Friday meant that there was a mass migration of festival goers making their way down after work on Friday evening, and this delayed many people’s arrival to the festival. Massive Attack were Friday night’s headline act, but their dreary music didn’t create much of an atmosphere, and the crowd seemed restless. Damien Rice opened his Big Tree stage early on Friday afternoon, and this quirky stage was an excellent feature of the festival overall. Because many acts playing here were also playing another set on one of the main stages, the Big Tree Stage allowed people to overcome timetable clashes by catching either one performance or the other. With branches of nearby trees extending over parts of the crowd, this stage proved to be one of the more intimate venues of the festival, with performances by
The Redneck Manifesto and the Dublin Gospel C h o i r among the highlights. DJ Shadow’s cinematic trip-hop sounds were on display in the Electric Arena, and although hip-hop fans might have marvelled at his turntabling skills in cutting up tunes such as Organ Donor, many found his more laid-back tone difficult to get into given the raw energy of other performances over the weekend. On the main stage 80s legends New Order drew a large crowd, and the timeless classic ‘Blue Monday’ got the ecstatic reaction it deserved. Pendulum provided the perfect start to Sunday with an evil drum and bass remix of The Prodigy’s ‘Voodoo people’. The ridiculously dressed Carl Craig’s set built up from deep house grooves to a high of jackin’ tech-house, while Saul Williams’ mix of energetic rapping over pounding beats blew the roof off the Crawdaddy tent. Basement Jaxx created a carnival atmosphere on the main stage with their collection of colourful dancers and charismatic singers. After warming up with material from their recent album ‘Crazy Itch Radio’ the crowd exploded in reaction to the popoular numbers ‘Rendez-vous’ and ‘Where’s Your Head At?’ The grand finale of the entire festival was legendary French DJ Laurent Garnier. All the other arenas had
finished when Garnier took to the stage and the crowd were rearing to go. Garnier is well-known for playing quality DJ sets mixing techno with all sorts of everything, but this was a serious let-down. It was a ‘Live’ performance, with most of the set being jazzy minimal down-tempo chill-out music. It was good music, but it was definitely not good music to play at 12am at a festival. Even when things would finally seem to be building up into a decent groove, the beats would stop and another break would come. That said, the last half an hour was brilliant, and the masterpiece ‘The Man with the Red Face’ was possibly the highlight of the weekend.
The emergence of Ele major festival has pos as to whether or not country’s number 1 Hugh Fowler inves
THE VERDIC Comparing the music at the festivals, there isn’t much in it, but comparing the two festivals overall, there is no competition: The atmosphere at Electric Picnic is, without a doubt, way ahead of Oxegen. It’s not just the musicians you go to see that make the festival great, at Electric Picnic it’s everything else that’s there that makes it so special. Random art was dotted all over the place, patterned sheets and Christmas lights led the way through the forest, colourful flags were flying high in the campsite. The Lost Vagueness tent was a bizarre mix between a twisted cabaret show and a hedonistic madhouse. The Body & Soul enclosure offered an array of alternative experiences, from full body massages to live performance art, and at night the enclosure’s subtle colourful lighting and relaxing chill-out tunes created the perfect place to get away from the all of the madness for a few moments. At Oxegen, the non-musical entertainment is limited to say the least. A big screen in the campsite showed the World Cup final, while at Electric Picnic the Ireland V Germany match was shown in a sheltered tent complete with bean bags and singsongs. But the best treats at The Picnic were found where you’d least
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le them all....
ectric Picnic as a sed the question t Oxegen is the festival. Detective stigates...
CT expect it, from a giant canvass where anyone was free to paint what they liked, to a bouncy-castle church where people can go through a bizarre bouncy wedding ceremony, to a rave in the carpark that kept going until the sun came up. Finally, that the overall organization of Electric Picnic makes the whole thing much more enjoyable. At Oxegen it’s as though the crowd are cattle being herded through checkpoints, from carpark to campsite, filtered up to the stages and then back to the campsite. Everyone plods past security staff hiding their cans and showing their wristbands, whereas at Electric Picnic there’s much more of a feeling that you can do what you want. Once past the front gate, there is no hassle from any security, about anything. The campsite flows into the festival area, and you can carry a big bottle of coke and vodka right up to the front if you want, whereas in Oxegen they’d be queuing up to confiscate it from you. Despite all of this, it has to be said that Oxegen is still great craic, its just that there’s so much better craic to be had at Electric Picnic. Hopefully next year it’ll somehow be even better, with more wacky sideshows, more all-night parties, and constant sunshine. Oh, and it’ll be a month long.
I f you include its previous incarnation (Witnness), Oxegen has been running for a total of eight years. This year, the lineup featured many musical heavyweights, and tickets sold out in less than 12 hours. 80,000 people each day make Oxegen the biggest music festival in Ireland, but does bigger necessarily mean better? The most horrendous rain Oxegen has seen in years turned Punchestown into a total mudbath, but rain was never going to dampen an Irish crowd’s spirits. Crews from South Korea, France and the U.S. wowed the crowd with some spectacular acrobatics in the Red Bull Break-in stage, where an international break-dancing competition offered a diversion from the regular Oxegen entertainment. Later on, the Mercury Music Prize winning Arctic Monkeys proved to be one of the highlights of the weekend, still riding on the wave of success that followed their massive debut album “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not”. The stalwart rock band of the nought-ies, The Strokes were next, but they didn’t manage to generate the same buzz in the crowd as the Monkeys before them. That said, ‘Last Night’ had the entire place hopping as everyone chanted along with the chorus. For many, it was The Who that pro-
vided something special for the weekend. Easily the most influential performers on the bill, they did not disappoint their fans. Opening with ‘I Can’t Explain’ they worked their way through their greatest hits, before returning for an encore with tracks from the ‘Tommy’ album. Finishing off on the main stage was the legendary James Brown. ‘The godfather of soul’ may be 73 years old, but he still managed to put on a show with enough funk to get the massive crowd grooving to his jazzy trumpet melodies and funky slapped basslines. He could still whoop and scream just like he did when he was at the height of his powers, but his dance moves were a little bit lacking- you felt like his hip would have split in two if he attempted one of his trademark ‘splits’ moves. In the dance arena, the awesome Vitallic tore the place apart with a pounding set, although a mistake on the official timetables meant many people missed out on the popular DJ/producer’s performance. As usual the dance arena was situated in a massive sweaty warehouse. The stage itself had an impressive design, with the DJs playing inside what looked like a gigantic elevated TV set about thirty feet above the
crowd, with scantilyclad dancers gyrating underneath. Finishing off the festival were the ever-popular Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Having played to a sold-out Slane not too long ago, there were some complaints about the suitability of having the Chilli Peppers as the final headline act, but the heavilytattooed foursome rose to the challenge. Mixing hectic improvised instrument a l
sections with well-known classics like ‘Under The Bridge’ and ‘Scar Tissue’, the band rounded off Oxegen with a bang, leaving the 80,000 strong crowd buzzing all the way back to the campsites.
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19th September 2006
Moore genre jumping to ponder Fourteen years after writing ‘Children of Men', P.D. James' excellent book has been adapted for the titillation of the greater illiterate public. The plot, both book and film, centres around a miraculously pregnant woman in a desert of barrenness in anarchic 1927 London. The world's youngest citizen has just died at a fleetingly post-pubescent 18 and it seems that the whole of mankind is destined for a brief flirtation with infertility before ultimate extinction. For some reason unbeknownst to us all, the world's women just can't get pregnant and although this may seem like a dream for the average male student, it has rather serious implications for the world. Never fear however, as amid nationalist rioting in London, Theodore Faren (Clive Owen) and his revolutionary ex-wife Julian (Julianne Moore) bolt into action and attempt to transport the little saviour to safety. You won't win prizes for observance by stating that films are subjective things and if you like the sci-fi / world-is-definitely-maybe-goingto-end type genre, it may well be possible that you will enjoy this latest effort from Director Alfonso Cuaron of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azcaban fame. While the film may seem superficial and threadbare at the outset, it raises a number of more serious ethical issues that affect us in our everyday life. While obviously we don't live in a world of fateful impotency, it raises serious issues relating to our attitudes towards reproduction today, such as abortion or artificial means. It is refreshing that such deeply philosophical and moralistic arguments are at least introduced in a current mainstream movie. And while these undertones may be a little far-fetched, particularly given that the book was written in the relatively innocent days of 1992, the biblical comparisons cannot be overlooked. The whole Adam and Eve scenario mixed with the Virgin Mary carrying mankind's saviour resonate into a hotchpotch of religious symbolism. Innately, this is more than just another drama set in the future. It uses something that we as a society, not as individuals, take for granted and displays that it is quite obviously the core of our existence. It's well worth a look, if only for the head-trip.
Eoin Mac Aodha
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Have marshall arts films kicked the bucket? It is no coincidence that martial arts movies are becoming more and more a thing of the past, writes Barra O’Fianail
Notwithstanding the touch of class lent to the genre of martial arts movies by relatively recent films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, they really don’t tend to be that great. Bruce Lee was an exceptional man, who is now dead. Both of these factors help his films command the reverence they do today, but in pracice do many people really watch them? Is it often that a martial arts movie is featured in a prime time slot on television? Generally speaking, the answer is that you don’t see martial arts movies in prime time slots because people won’t watch them. Perhaps their most hideous subspecies of this genre are those which originate from computer games; these really are mankind’s lowest ebb. The hidious offsping of parents that were never really up to much themselves. Admittedly, the films continue to be made so some people are watching them, but this doesn’t necessarily mean the movies have any merit. They’re like porn, as films they’re not very good, but they still satisfy some of our most basic of instincts. They appeal to the gorillas in us, if you will. These inner gorillas tend to be most prominent among adolescent males, and adolescent males tend to be the ones who watch martial arts movies. Hopefully, the fine fellows of UCD are well past this stage in their development, at least to the point were they won’t actually bother going out to see Dead or Alive (DOA). DOA is a very appropriate title. It is the latest computer fighting game to be humpty-dumptyed into a collection of extremely unlikely scenarios on the big screen. It started with Street Fighter, never has a computer game done so much for so many. Here comes the movie and once again it’s rubbish. Now Mortal Combat had it’s critics, even as a game. But to be fair it was wildly popular. Here comes the movie, shock horror, it’s rubbish. DOA is Street Fighter, it is Mortal Combat, its every fight film that should have had the better sense than to leave our computer screens. It’s rubbish. To be fair, the females are fit. Holly Valance is in there, and the wit occasionally touches on average. All this does however, is turn a bad film into a dangerously bad film, because they have enough to make it look very cool in the trailer. Lads, don’t buy it. It will hint, it will imply, it will pull you along by the short and curlies, but ultimately, this film is a boobless as we are. If you still want to know what its about, picture a luxurious island in the Pacific ocean where every year the best fighters in the world are invited to come and do battle in order to ascertain the world’s greatest. There are certain other sub-plots, and the term ‘sub-plot’ is to
Bruce Lee: The ultimate kung-fu cult figure be used very loosely, but that is basically it. Despite the fact that the token hunk is played by Matthew Marsden, and apparently he used to be in Cornation Street. That’s preety amusing considering how suave his character is in DOA, and no offence to the guy, but it’s also testament to the calibre of acting right across the board in the movie. Sarah Carter, who plays Kristen, is one who perhaps should have known better but she’s in an upcoming movie with Holly Valance and Paris Hilton so it may be too late. Holly Valance’s first feature film will provide a platform for her to get similar roles in similar semi-erotic movies. That her next role see’s her staring alongside Paris Hilton says a lot. If she keeps accepting roles like these she could well find herself back in Ramsey Street, not that she deserves anything better. She is hot though. Given the director’s comprehensive career as an actor, staring in such classics as ‘Attack of the kung Fu girls’ and ‘Hero of the wild kung fu challenger’, it’s suprising he should produce such filth here. Some of you will perhaps get excited because you love the game and want to put personalities to the characters. You’ll also probably be interested in the features which the film has borrowed from the game, including your standard fighter introductions and the Kill Bill-esque cinematography. My advice however, is that if you like the game, just stay at home and play it.
Not a misterman in sight Headed by a stellar cast and supported by the script-writing abilities of the talented Michael Arndt, Little Miss Sunshine has captured the hearts of audiences everywhere, grossing almost $42 million in the box office. At first glance, the story line says little to recommend it. A dysfunctional family embarks on a road-trip, which will ultimately change their lives and relationships forever. It’s not like it hasn’t been done before and with varying degrees of success. Little Miss Sunshine breaks the traditional model however, by steering clear of sickly sweet sentiment and instead retains a sharp and at times satirical perspective on the hilarious and poignant events that take place. Toni Collette and Greg Kinnear star as Richard and Sheryl Hoover, a jaded married couple attempting to make sense of their disappointing
lives. Their teenage son Dwayne (the extremely talented Paul Dano) is a devotee of Nietzsche and has taken a vow of silence until his parents agree to let him join the air force. Seven-year old Olive (Abigail Breslin) is being tutored in the arts of the Beauty Pageant by her heroin-snorting Grandpa (Alan Arkin) and when Sheryl’s brother (Steve Carell), a deeply depressed Proustian scholar who has attempted suicide in the past comes to stay, tensions in the family escalate. Add to this mix a cross-country quest, and the scene is set for a nightmarish portrayal of family dysfunction that mostly takes place within the confines of a large yellow mini-van. The cast is excellent with Collette perfectly epitomising the role of the burnt-out wife and mother who wants her family to be happy, but whose energy is being drained by the financial
and emotional strain of her middle-class life in suburbia. Greg Kinnear is convincing as an unsuccessful motivational speaker whose favourite sayings include: “Don’t apologise, it’s a sign of weakness.” Steve Carell shows us that his abilities are not restricted to playing the funny man and his quiet misery for the first part of the film is very affecting. There is real pathos in each family member’s attempt to understand the others, and the result is a bittersweet portrayal of a family on the verge of a complete breakdown. Thrown into this are some moments of true comedy that help lift the film, directed by wife and husband team Valerie Faris and Richard Dayton, out of the doldrums of despair and give the film an upbeat, heart-warming feeling. Caitrina Cody
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The journey down memory lane Brian Dillon
In the Dark Ronnom nnp
Very few people will admit to having expected to win an award, but when Brian Dillon says he wasn’t anticipating picking up the Irish Book Award for Non-Fiction last year, you’re inclined to believe him. “I didn’t know that peoples’ jaws actually dropped”, he muses now. Dillon’s modesty is perhaps misplaced as his debut book; ‘In the Dark Room’ is quite an achievement. The book, both stylistically and in it’s content, is refreshingly unique. “What my publishers originally wanted was not a memoir at all, but a cultural history of memory”, he recalls. What Dillon has come up with however is a powerful presentation of his rather troubled past. The book is not written in the traditional blow-by-blow b i o grap h i c a l account, rather Dillon uses specific objects from his past to evoke specific memories to paint a very sketchy picture and give the reader isolated insights into Dillon’s dark past. “There are plenty of memoirs around now and I didn’t want to add to the pile,” jokes Dillon. “I suppose what is missing in the book is the fact that all this was happening in a context of me having friends etc, but I didn’t want to include that because I didn’t want to write a book about growing up in the eighties.” As Dillon himself comments, “It’s a very crippled autobiography.” This however only adds to the harrowing story he tells, centring on the author’s dark childhood, and ultimately the death of his parents when he is still in adolescence. The text is repeatedly drawn back to the present, as the author describes a photo to the reader, and the memory it evokes. He explains “I have it in front of me now.” It’s an interesting method that makes the reader feel he is exploring the author’s psyche first hand. The honesty of it is compelling, which encourages the reader to re-
spect the bravery of the author in a way that a traditional biography would not. One of the interesting aspects of his work is that Dillon constantly draws from the works of other artists to explain and add to his own feelings. He doesn’t just do this because others “may very well have said it better” but rather explains these artists “are absolutely completely tied up with my sense of who I am.” Dillon arrived in UCD at a dark time for himself. “My mother had died three years before. I look back now and realise I spent those three years basically depressed, not just grieving, but really not well. And I suppose I did sort of come out of myself. It was a sort of turning point in terms of finding out who I was. “By all accounts I was an exceptionally noisy baby, screaming my way through the first year, then promptly shutting up for the next eighteen,” and the college was a release of sorts. The reader also gets the sense that the book was therapeutic for Dillon himself, a full stop in a mourning process that has take over a decade. “I always used to think of myself in terms of my parents ages. I would think: what am I going to be like when I’m forty, the age that my dad got married. What am I going to be like at fifty, the age my mother died. I have found that in the last couple of years, I don’t think like that anymore and maybe that had something to do with putting it on paper.” This book isn’t going to satisfy people looking for a ‘good read’ in the traditional sense because not much happens. The book is a journey into one mans memory, and to that extent it is an amazing achievement as the cover boasts. It is a book-lovers book. Despite the books generally dark nature, there is a slight element of humour, although again, it is very dark. The author’s hypochondria, although rooted in his mother’s tragic illness, is funny as Dillon acknowledges. “What sort of idiot, I have often wondered since, spends the best part of a decade convinced of his own imminent attack.” The ex-UCD man is based in London at the moment and the fact that his work has been endorsed here clearly comforts him. “I haven’t lived in Ireland for ten years and it was great to be back and feel that people were paying attention to the book and that it meant something to people.” If Brian Dillon continues to produce works of the standard of his fist novel, people will certainly continue to pay attention.
Barra O'Fianail
A master of his craft
Patrick O’Brian’s epic novels will have you wanting even more “The music room in the governor’s house at Port Mahon, a tall, handsome, pillared octagon, was filled with the triumphant first movement of Locatelli’s C major quartet.” Thus begins an amazing literary journey that has been undertaken by thousands of Patrick O’Brian fans worldwide. Together, with the characters, the reader will circumnavigate the world over and over, will suffer the intolerable boredom of a sea captain being laid up on land with no chance of a ship, and experience the absolute exhilaration of a sea battle between two tall ships. The story centres on a friendship between Stephen Maturin and Jack Aubrey, two men of contrasting extremes and identical ideologies. Both are incredibly principled, but inevitably and apparently human. The development of this friendship is perhaps O’Brian’s greatest achievement and could be the product of a proud sociologist’s study rather than that of a novelist. Stephen is a tiny man, qualified as a doctor from Trinity College. A proud Irishman, a hater of tyranny in all its form, a constant proponent of Irish independence, and an intelligence officer for the English navy, although the latter is only to the end
of defeating despised Napoleon’s tyranny in Europe. Jack is a giant of a man with long golden hair, and a seaman through and through. He was raised in tall ships and can never be truly comfortable on dry land. As our story opens, Jack is receiving his promotion to a commander of HMS Sophie, and by the end is on his way to take up a post as admiral. It took twenty books but he got there. O’Brian’s historical accuracy has made him famous. We are given, not directly but through our protagonist’s adventures: not only a precise history of the Napoleonic wars but also actual critical involvement in specific events therein. This provides an interesting contrast to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, which is also set during this period. O’Brian is also a stickler for detail and these books do have an awful lot of ref-
erences to staysails of all sorts that are perhaps a little over the top. They are just references, however, so they’ll keep the sailors happy but won’t wreck the heads of the casual reader either. Although the book is based in the ‘stiff upper lip’ era in English history, and this is accurately apparent, O’Brian is not afraid to get his hands dirty. Both of the main protagonists have their imperfections. Maturin is an opium eater for the greater part of the reader’s relationship with him, and Aubrey’s episodes of unfaithfulness expose his flaws. This is of particular contemporary interest, given that the sea captain’s love of his wife was put beyond question. The absolute variety of experiences, and the changing pace they bring, is another factor that makes these books special. You really feel the frustration of the characters as they spend weeks locked in the doldrums with no wind to power their travels, and the rushes on occasions of continuous and unexpected events are truly felt. O’Brian draws you in, he makes you care. Twenty books is a daunting task to face, but give them a chance. You’ll want twenty more by the end.
Barra O'Fianail